20th Century Fox and Regency Enterprises present a PG-13 rated, 99 minute romantic comedy directed by Tom Vaughan and starring Cameron Diaz (Joy McNally), Ashton Kutcher (Jack Fuller), Lake Bell (Tipper), Jason Sudeikis (Mason), with Treat Williams (Jack Fuller Sr.), Rob Corddry (Hater), Deidre O'Connell (Mrs. Fuller), Michelle Krusiec (Chong), Dennis Farina (Banger), Zach Galifianakis (Dave the Bear), Queen Latifah (Dr. Twitchell), Krysten Ritter (Kelly) and Dennis Miller (Honorable R.D. Whopper).
Jack, an attractive young New York man, works for his father at Fuller Closets, a ladies man, with little ambition in life, is not quite marriage material in anyone's mind, let alone the woman he sleeps with on a whim. He does have several friends but one main buddy, Hater, a lawyer that has yet to ever win a case let alone understand one. When Jack gets fired from his family business he decides to pack up his friend, Hater, and head to Vegas to get his mind off his troubles. What better place than the land of milk and honey, otherwise known as the sands of alcohol and money, not to forget women and trouble.
Joy, an intelligent, yes smart, blonde woman that works in New York on the floor of the stock exchange aspires to move up in her current company position which is run by Richard Banger. Joy was about to marry a prominent New York businessman, Mason, but on the night of his birthday, the real surprise was on Joy. So, a thirty thousand dollar ring in tow, two tickets in pocket for Vegas, Joy and her best friend, Tipper, are on their way to sin city.
Arriving in Vegas, eventually boy meets girl in small quarters, not to give anything away but the introduction of the four main characters is truly priceless. Eventually the four decide to become sight seeing companions and hit the strip. Jack invites Joy for a drink which eventually leads into the chapel of love or should I say the chapel of drunken, horny, unadulterated, I do's. Their sidekicks Hater and Tipper are not exactly hitting it off as successfully as their best buds which adds numerous moments of hysterical scenes. The writing in this film totally rocked like Elvis back from the dead shaking his hips better than ever. Not only is this story relatable but directed and acted superbly by the entire cast. This film reminded me of a modern day "About Last Night" which starred Ashton's wife, Demi, many years ago, including moments with Cameron, similar to Julia in "Pretty Woman". Even though the film reflected some cliché scenes from past films it truly stands alone as a must see romantic comedy sure to entice both men and women into the theatre.
When the newlyweds wake up the day after they discover their married they eventually agree to split the tie that binds until Jack slips Joy's quarter in a slot machine winning three million dollars, all things suddenly change. What happens in Vegas you pay for when you get home. Jack and Joy do so in court. Judge Whopper sentences the couple to six months hard marriage under supervision by a therapist on a weekly basis. If for any reason they fail to make an effort to make their marriage work, the money will forever be tied up in litigation, frozen and the split sum will never see the light of day let alone the eyes of Jack and Joy.
Once Joy moves in with Jack, the games begin. Popcorn balls, to toilet seats, the game is on to make the other person lose their share of the money. No apples in this film just oranges, ones as hard hitting as baseballs. All eyes are on the prize and it's not each other, rather the amount of money held up in court. When Joy invites Jack to her company retreat, he knows this is truly his last shot from becoming Joy's bitch for life. But life has a way of changing sometimes the direction a person thinks they want to go. The first dance, the kiss, what a feeling, what a great day! No one to please but yourself! Sometimes it truly takes losing something to realize what you once had! Time tends to heal all wounds but the memories of past events will always live on. Have you ever thought that when you're miserable, where is one place you would go to get happy? In the end a picture is worth the most important words and finding one self is the answer to the foot prints in the sand that are forever left by two.
This comedy is truly a must see for all. Wonderful direction, writing and acting by the entire cast and crew. Kutcher was not only brilliant but this film will help to catapult his demand even higher in Hollywood. Diaz, brought her cards to the table in this role, making me laugh and swoon by her every scene. Bell and Corddry were both hysterical, the perfect balance to their play mates Diaz and Kutcher. Even the score rolled a perfect seven in this film. Remember to wait past the credits so you don't miss some additional knock out moments. This film should definitely do quite well at the box office appealing to everyone searching for the meaning of how to make that not so special moment last forever even the second time around.
Reporting for Talkin' Pets, I'm Jon Patch.